Paying dues wgmiller...it makes landing one the first time so much sweeter...I think the ones you miss or lose make the addiction worse. I lost 2 musky and 2 or 3 pike before I landed my first musky..now every time the weather is bad I get the itch to chase musky..today would have been perfect

Ya gotta like punishment to fly fish musky. If you not on ragged edge your not going "all in". Mentally and physically it's a tuff fish to keep your focus on. They require every ounce of your being and sometimes more. It's a dark place to be in. The pressure and stress of staying focused can be overwhelming. Your mind swirl with questions about approach and tactics. If ya got all this going on and still having a fun time. Congratulations and welcome to the club!

Posted on: 2013/11/1 12:43

_________________
“If, when you pull a fly out youdon’t hear drums and can’t smellchicken blood in the air, put it backin the box, for if it is evil you seek,then it can only be conjured with thesame.”

The anticipation.... The mystery.... Just knowing they're lurking, watching your fly...ready to strike at any moment. My follows and strikes have been few, but it's anticipation that can't be matched. They've got me and I won't give until at least one is on the hook. It's crazy to be fishing for trout with tiny nymphs one day, then tossing what amounts to a small dead bird the next!

PACOFRANSICO wrote:Ya gotta like punishment to fly fish musky. If you not on ragged edge your not going "all in". Mentally and physically it's a tuff fish to keep your focus on. They require every ounce of your being and sometimes more. It's a dark place to be in. The pressure and stress of staying focused can be overwhelming. Your mind swirl with questions about approach and tactics. If ya got all this going on and still having a fun time. Congratulations and welcome to the club!

I just started musky fishing last year but I must be outside of the normal distribution curve. It's not a punishment at all. Get in a boat, drift and look for obvious holding areas. I never find myself pouring my mind, body and soul into it, rather I find it relaxing to scout out spots where I know fish should hold, often spotting them and then and only then the pressure is on to get the right shot in there. Typically we have a fish on in those prime areas. These are very aggressive fish if you approach them correctly and think about what they want. Predator/prey. Hunter/hunted. Rarely do we get into figure 8 "please eat this" situations. I think those folks who find themselves there simply cast to the fish instead of well above them. It's honestly almost as easy as finding a rising trout and presenting well. Think like a predator.

That's definitely the way to do it since you can cover so much more water. At this point in time, I'm wading which really limits me to lower flows, etc. I'm not quite sure I want to take one on in my kayak, but I know that certainly would open a lot more opportunities. Perhaps I should start with chain pickerel from the yak to build my skills...

Got this guy today. I've been watching this fat little fella since summer and after presenting him a fly two previous times recently, he finally ate on the third try. And he's grown a few inches since I saw him earlier this year too.

What I was trying to get acrossed. Is that toothies muskies in particular get under your skin. To be honest I'm obcessed with them borderline being a problem. Truthfully I've chased them with a fly rod for the past three years. That's what my fly fishing focus is on. Along with that comes sore shoulders bruised, egos and tendionitis.

And in the deep freeze part of the year it's dyeing bucktails and retying beat up patterns as well as new ones. Always looking for a edge or to improve parts of my game. So I guess for me it's like Alice goin down the rabbit hole.

Posted on: 2013/11/10 10:45

_________________
“If, when you pull a fly out youdon’t hear drums and can’t smellchicken blood in the air, put it backin the box, for if it is evil you seek,then it can only be conjured with thesame.”

Fishidiot wrote:Got this guy today. I've been watching this fat little fella since summer and after presenting him a fly two previous times recently, he finally ate on the third try. And he's grown a few inches since I saw him earlier this year too.

It is quite the unique obsession..I've never fished for musky until this year when, never with gear either, the first time I had a tiger run down a fly and then hook up on the 8 I was pretty much hooked..a lot to admire about a fish that does that....the other fish that solidified my obsession was the 40-42 I tangled with.. The way that fish ate was impressive and the head shakes on that fish..keeps me coming back for more abuse..